Need Tips for Induction Cooktop Usage and Care

[jimb0]

regrettably even though it will only ever be the two of us i don’t think i can do without an oven that i can at least fit a full spatchcocked turkey in. 

[dcarch]

Important tip for induction cook top consideration.

 

Do a little research on your own on " induction cook top and heart pacemaker"

 

dcarch

Edited February 28, 2021 by dcarch (log)

[lindag]

17 hours ago, KennethT said:

In about a month, I'm moving and will be transitioning from gas to induction (the apt building has no gas service). What pans do you use that give you the performance you like? I can't use most of my current pans (15 year old All Clad LTD).

Almost all of my cookware is All-Clad stainless, about 20 years old.

I do have a lot of LeCreuset and one brand new Viking saute pan.

All of it works very well.  My first test  of my new induction range was to boil water in an A-C saucepan...it was astonishingly fast.

[KennethT]

44 minutes ago, lindag said:

Almost all of my cookware is All-Clad stainless, about 20 years old.

I do have a lot of LeCreuset and one brand new Viking saute pan.

All of it works very well.  My first test  of my new induction range was to boil water in an A-C saucepan...it was astonishingly fast.

My All Clad is not magnetic - anodized aluminum exterior bonded to an aluminum core bonded to a stainless interior.

[lindag]

2 hours ago, KennethT said:

My All Clad is not magnetic - anodized aluminum exterior bonded to an aluminum core bonded to a stainless interior.

So you're planning to replace all that A-C?

In case you haven't see it before there's 'cookwarenmore' where you can get A-C irregulars for less.  I have a few pieces from there and they are perfect (at least to my eye).

[KennethT]

2 hours ago, lindag said:

So you're planning to replace all that A-C?

In case you haven't see it before there's 'cookwarenmore' where you can get A-C irregulars for less.  I have a few pieces from there and they are perfect (at least to my eye).

I pretty much have to if I do use an induction burner.  My parents used to have the coil top electric burners and I hated cooking on it.  Then they got the sealed infrared burners and I wasn't a fan either.  I love cooking on gas and have done so for the last 20 years or so but it's not an option in the new apartment except for that I'm planning on getting a portable butane gas burner - but that's really just to have a cheap burner around on the off chance I need 3, or if I want to use a specific All Clad pan that I didn't get rid of.

[chromedome]

I hung onto one of those portable butane burners when I stopped doing catering and farmer's markets, just to have on hand. Primarily it's a winter-storm backup for cooking purposes, and I toss it in my van during winter road trips or summer camping trips for similar reasons. Haven't had to use it yet, except for camping.

Also, one day I will find myself a wok with a rounded bottom*, and my butane burner will then become the wok burner.

 

 

*I know, I know, I can order them online. It's been a low priority, and I haven't gotten to it yet. Someday, when the time is right, I'll need to top up an order to get free shipping...

[jimb0]

40 minutes ago, chromedome said:

I hung onto one of those portable butane burners when I stopped doing catering and farmer's markets, just to have on hand. Primarily it's a winter-storm backup for cooking purposes, and I toss it in my van during winter road trips or summer camping trips for similar reasons. Haven't had to use it yet, except for camping.

Also, one day I will find myself a wok with a rounded bottom*, and my butane burner will then become the wok burner.

 

 

*I know, I know, I can order them online. It's been a low priority, and I haven't gotten to it yet. Someday, when the time is right, I'll need to top up an order to get free shipping...

 

keep an eye out at the kitchen aisle at winners

[chromedome]

2 minutes ago, jimb0 said:

 

keep an eye out at the kitchen aisle at winners

Oh, I do...I have both a Winners and a Marshalls nearby in adjoining shopping centers, and a Value Village as well.

No joy so far, but hope springs eternal.

[MaryIsobel]

Our 7 year old Electrolux induction cooktop/electric oven decided it needs a new motherboard. Techician's first question was "have you used the self-clean lately?" Apparently the self clean causes a lot of issues with the electronics and he told us not to use it. Just clean it with oven cleaner "just like back in the old days."  Curiousif this is good advice?

[chromedome]

23 minutes ago, MaryIsobel said:

Our 7 year old Electrolux induction cooktop/electric oven decided it needs a new motherboard. Techician's first question was "have you used the self-clean lately?" Apparently the self clean causes a lot of issues with the electronics and he told us not to use it. Just clean it with oven cleaner "just like back in the old days."  Curiousif this is good advice?

It's pretty universal advice, yes.

Heat is the enemy of electronics, and self-cleaning generates a LOT of heat.

[MaryIsobel]

9 minutes ago, chromedome said:

It's pretty universal advice, yes.

Heat is the enemy of electronics, and self-cleaning generates a LOT of heat.

You've echoed what my husband has said - his career was troubleshooting railway system problems which involved electronics, but my question is why is it even an option if it is damaging to the unit? Can a company be so blatantly promoting planned obsolescence?

[chromedome]

Well, that's a tough one. Certainly it's not hard to adopt a cynical view, and think of it as a revenue generator for the manufacturer.

 

That being said, manufacturers at the end of the day need to sell product, and that means incorporating features customers want even if they're counter-productive. Self-cleaning was introduced in the days of analog controls, and it's a genuinely popular feature, so leaving it out would cost them sales. Failing to shield the electronics to at least some extent would make them really failure-prone, but that would be a short-sighted way of driving repair revenue.

 

Reputation is an important part of a manufacturer's marketing strategy - hence Dyson selling at a premium over Shark or Hoover, and Wolf and Bluestar over lesser brands - so they need to be mindful of that as well. My feeling (and I'm not an industry insider, and have no stats to back that up) is that manufacturers know self-cleaning increases the likelihood of failure by [x] percent, and are comfortable that it's not a high enough number to significantly impair their reputations.

[MaryIsobel]

Thanks @chromedome I was never happy with the self clean anyway.Had to dinish it off by hand.  Next question is; The manufacturers of self clean ovens say that you should never use oven cleaner (Easy-Off in Canada) as it will damage the oven. Is there any truth to that?)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Either way Easy-Off might damage you.

 

[weinoo]

11 hours ago, MaryIsobel said:

Thanks @chromedome I was never happy with the self clean anyway.Had to dinish it off by hand.  Next question is; The manufacturers of self clean ovens say that you should never use oven cleaner (Easy-Off in Canada) as it will damage the oven. Is there any truth to that?)

 

Do they perhaps mean not to use Easy-Off and run the self-clean cycle at the same time?

[dcarch]

Easy-off has many chemicals in its composition. Many ALL of its ingredients are toxic to humans. One main ingredient is Sodium Hydroxide, it is highly reactive (corrosive) on aluminum. Sodium hydroxide can also damage glass and a few other metals at higher temperature.

 

dcarch

 

Edited to say All those chemicals are toxic to humans.

Edited March 7, 2021 by dcarch (log)

[MaryIsobel]

15 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Either way Easy-Off might damage you.

 

I agree - terribly noxious stuff.

[chromedome]

Sorry, I'm late seeing this. Ovens that don't have self-cleaning expect you to use a chemical cleaner, and are made of appropriate materials to withstand the caustic chemicals (as spelled out previously by dcarch). Ovens that do have self-cleaning expect you will use that, instead. This is GE's explanation:

https://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=17569

 

In my case my oven could handle the chemicals but I can't, so I generally use steam to do the job. I set my electric kettle on a sheet pan on the bottom rack position, lift the lid so the auto-shutoff won't kick in, and let it boil for about 10 minutes (it takes 20-ish to boil dry, so I have lots of margin...and I set a timer). You need to block the vent with a kitchen towel, to keep the steam in. Let the steam work its way into the gunk for 15-20 minutes, then just wipe it out. A few nasty stuck-on spots might require a bit of a soak with hot water and dish soap (or scrub baking soda into it and then hit it with vinegar and hot water, if that's your thing), but they'll generally come off pretty easily.

 

If you don't have an electric kettle, just use a different method to steam it up, ie, turn the oven to 225 F, put a roaster on the bottom rack, and fill it with boiling water. Don't fill it first with boiling water and then try to move it (ask me how I know...).

There are thousands of these "natural/less harmful cleaning methods" articles online, and I've actually written a fair number of them myself. Steam is one of the more effective options, and I use it in my microwave as well. As the GE link notes, many newer ovens (and microwaves) have this as a built-in feature.

(I wrote this a couple of hours ago, but apparently forgot to click "Submit Reply"...)

[Darienne]

Induction stoves are brand new to me and I've borrowed a unit from a friend to see if I can become accustomed to it easily.  It's only one burner, bought for a daughter in an Armed Forces dormitory and allowed to be used in her room.  The unit is a Midea, 1500 watts and learning how it works is next on my to-do list, so to speak.  

 

It's unpacked.  I read the incredibly badly written manual.  I've already had some help from chromedome, the epitome of generosity and others on another topic.  Next to plug it in and try it out.  With luck, tomorrow.  

[chromedome]

My two units both belonged to my parents initially, and they're mine now because my mom couldn't figure them out (my father was the cook in the family). In fairness, my mom has reached the point where she can only manage a telephone about 50 percent of the time.

 

That being said, I've argued for years that manufacturers are missing an obvious bet with these units. Why not make one with a simple, faux-analog dial that anyone can understand and come to grips with? The underlying power settings can remain the same, just make it look like the dials we've all used on stoves and hot plates for most of our lives. That would make safer induction cooking accessible not just to those in Darienne's position, but to anyone else with physical or cognitive impairments.

 

My mother has Parkinson's, for example. Ever watched someone with Parkinson's trying to work with a touch-based interface? It's heartbreaking (or infuriating, if you have the misfortune to be behind her in the line). Grrr. Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now.

[Tropicalsenior]

I find that with so many products. They say that seniors don't keep up with technology but the problem is that technology is not designed with seniors in mind. We don't have the dexterity to operate many of the controls. I practically have to stand on my head and get out the magnifying glass to use the controls on my airfryer.

And why must all manuals be written in techno-speak. What's wrong with just plain English?

Edited January 26, 2023 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[lemniscate]

6 hours ago, chromedome said:

That being said, I've argued for years that manufacturers are missing an obvious bet with these units. Why not make one with a simple, faux-analog dial that anyone can understand and come to grips with?

Totally agree.   This is why I own the cheapo Oster countertop oven and the not-so-cheapo A4box induction cooker; oh and my Chefman airfryer.  They all use dials.  Those digital membrane buttons also crack and peel as the plastic ages and then quit responding.

 

I have several portable induction hobs.  I find cleaning the cooking surface with 70% IPA on a paper towel does really well.   It cuts through greasy smears easily.

 

I've cooked using brown craft paper between the hob and pan to keep the mess down.  I just recently used a baking silpat in that way also and it worked fine.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 26, 2023 by lemniscate
added more info (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

As I've told before I love my Paragon.  However even a non-temperature controlled induction unit should be safe to use.  If there is no pan the unit won't start, and will shut off when the pan is removed.  If an empty pan is left on the unit, the pan could potentially overheat.  One solution is to use pans of a special alloy that becomes non-ferromagnetic at a safe temperature.  Once that temperature is reached the pans don't become any hotter.

 

I also use a Silpat (as this afternoon for oatmeal) when I'm not employing temperature control.